Who would study psychology if they didn't have some kind of problem?

Chapter 516 externalizes the chaotic "I" into two visible objects.
Gestalt therapy, also known as Gestalt therapy, is based on the psychological research theories of the Gestalt school. In its fundamental theories, the Gestalt school emphasizes the holistic nature of experience and behavior, believing that the whole is not equal to but greater than the sum of its parts, and advocating for the study of psychological phenomena from a holistic, dynamic structural perspective.

After applying this psychological research theory to the field of psychological counseling, Gestalt therapy has developed many perspectives, several of which are particularly applicable to addressing the current situation of client Nan Zhihao.

This is why Nan Zhuren chose to use this school of therapy as the primary treatment method for the second stage of the client's treatment:

I. Holism and Field Theory. Humans are a unified whole of mind and body. Individuals cannot be understood in isolation; they must be viewed within the dynamic field of their relationship with their environment.

II. Here and Now. Past experiences and future anxieties are only meaningful when they affect an individual’s current experience, feelings, physical reactions, and behavior, and an individual’s “experience” is superior to “memory”.

Third, awareness. The healing process begins when an individual perceives themselves and their environment without judgment.

IV. Responsibility and Autonomy. Individuals need to take responsibility for their feelings, thoughts, behaviors, and choices, while also recognizing which responsibilities belong to themselves in the present moment and which belong to the environment.

The "empty chair technique" is the most famous technique in Gestalt therapy. This technique is quite simple to implement: place an empty chair in front of the client, and then have the client engage in dialogue with an imagined "externalized figure" sitting in the empty chair, switching roles to promote the release, understanding, and integration of unexpressed emotions.

This "externalized carrier" can be someone else, or it can be a part of oneself, emotions, symptoms, etc.

This technique may seem naive, even childish, but the "empty chair technique" actually makes a deep use of the psychological principle of "externalization," transforming an individual's internal, abstract psychological content into an external, perceptible dialogue partner, thereby achieving a reorganization of cognition and emotion.

It is very suitable for Nan Zhihao's current situation.

However, because this technology seems rather naive, adult visitors will involuntarily exhibit a certain degree of resistance when it is implemented.

This has nothing to do with the depth of the counseling relationship; it's purely instinctive. The more experienced an individual is, the more resistant they will be to some basic intervention techniques.

Pretentious adults are just a nuisance.

Therefore, in order to ensure the effectiveness of this intervention, Nan Zhuren needs to find ways to get the visitors more involved.

It's not difficult either.

The integration process in Gestalt therapy can also be seen as a cognitive adjustment process. To facilitate this process, it is simply necessary to break down the client's existing fixed cognitions.

Coincidentally, Nan Zhuren also discovered a few minor issues in the visitor's previous account, which he deliberately left to discuss now, in order to serve as a catalyst for the "empty chair technique."

Looking at the visitor before him, Nan Zhuren initiated a brief standoff.

Nan Zhuren first got up and tried to adjust the position of the single sofa in the room.

The consultation room has one two-seater sofa and two single sofas. The single sofas were originally placed to the left and right of the two-seater sofa, so people sitting on the two-seater sofa had to turn to the side to make eye contact with people on the single sofas.

After Nan Zhuren's adjustment, the two sofas are positioned to the left and right front of the two-seater sofa, respectively, so that visitors can see both sofas at the same time while sitting on the two-seater sofa.

The single sofa was quite heavy, and the visitor rushed over to help after seeing Nan Zhuren's actions.

Nan Zhuren was pleased to see this. As the pressure on his hands eased, he said with a sigh, "Thank you—just like I said before, you have high standards for yourself and are always willing to help others."

The visitor gave a shy smile, pleased with the compliment, but the smile quickly turned bitter: "I thought... it's about being kind to others, thinking more about them, and helping as much as I can... but now, sometimes I feel that the 'me' who helps others might actually cause them trouble, so it's better not to help..."

Nan Zhuren wanted to elicit this statement. He spoke to the visitor in a manner that was both instructive and conversational: "Thinking like that is a bit too self-centered."

...self-centered?
The visitor paused, stared at Nan Zhuren for two seconds, seemingly not understanding why Nan Zhuren would make such a accusation.

He then quickly explained, "Teacher, I'm not being self-centered; I'm just worried about causing trouble for others..."

Nan Zhuren nodded and insisted, "That's self-centeredness."

The visitor seemed to think that Nan Zhuren hadn't understood him, and he spoke faster: "Teacher, what I mean is that I'm worried that if I go to help others, the trouble I cause will outweigh the help I can provide. I feel that if the people around them knew about my situation, they might..."

His voice stopped abruptly.

It was as if a thunderbolt had struck the brain; the visitor's mouth was agape, and he stood frozen in place like a statue.

Nan Zhuren steadied the sofa, moved it to its destination, and then shrugged at the stunned visitor, repeating each word carefully: "You, think, what."

The visitor's mouth slowly closed, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Is this also 'egocentrism'?"

Nan Zhuren nodded.

The visitor then asked, "Because 'I feel' that other people think the same way I do?"

Nan Zhuren nodded: "And you acted based on your own assumptions—even if your intentions were for the benefit of others. But this way of thinking and behaving is 'egocentric'."

……

Seeing the visitor's bewildered expression, Nan Zhuren nodded in satisfaction.

Now that we've shaken this young man's perception, it will be easier to reorganize him later.

Nan Zhuren first pointed to the two-seater sofa, gesturing for the visitor to sit down, and then pointed to the two single sofas in front of the visitor.

First, he gestured to the sofa on the left, which had a gray cushion on it: "Now, suppose your [ideal self] is sitting on this sofa."

He then gestured to the sofa on the right, which had a green cushion on it: "And sitting on this sofa is your [real self]."

The visitor forced himself to focus his attention and listen attentively to Nan Zhuren's guidance.

Then I saw Nan Zhuren take out two sheets of A4 paper and a pen from his folder and place them in front of the visitor.

"Now let's take two minutes to think about this. On one piece of paper, write down the sentence you most want to say to your ideal self; on the other piece of paper, write down the sentence you most want to say to your real self."

　Gestalt is a major school of thought with many main theoretical foundations, which will only be briefly introduced in this article.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)